Tapered Feedthrough Sealing for Deep-Water Electronics Enclosures
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing technologies face challenges in protecting electronic components from high pressures encountered in deep-water environments, particularly in maintaining structural stability and preventing leakage while allowing physical and electrical coupling with external components.
Innovation Solution
The development of an enclosure structure with a feedthrough mechanism that uses a non-tapered and tapered bore configuration, combined with a potting material and sealing structures, to securely couple electronic components within the enclosure to external components while maintaining structural integrity and preventing leakage at high pressures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a feedthrough is used to couple electronic components inside the enclosure to external components, then physical and electrical coupling is enabled, but structural stability and leakage prevention are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The feedthrough is segmented into multiple functional zones: a non-tapered portion for electrical connection inside the enclosure, a tapered portion for structural reinforcement at the wall interface, and a sealed exterior portion. This segmentation allows each zone to optimize for its specific function while collectively maintaining both coupling capability and structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The feedthrough employs composite construction combining conductive materials for electrical connection with structurally reinforced tapered sections. The enclosure wall itself acts as a composite structure integrating the feedthrough pin, creating a unified load-bearing assembly that maintains structural stability while enabling penetration.
2Ease of operation
If a feedthrough penetrates the enclosure wall to enable component coupling, then electrical connection is achieved, but leakage paths are created
Solution Approach 1:
A sealing structure in the form of a flexible membrane or thin film is integrated around the feedthrough pin, creating a waterproof barrier that conforms to the tapered geometry. This flexible seal prevents water ingress through the penetration point while allowing the rigid electrical connection to pass through.
Solution Approach 2:
The tapered portion of the feedthrough pin acts as an intermediary element between the sealed interior and exterior environments. Its geometry creates a mechanical interface that enables the integration of sealing structures (such as O-rings or potting material) while maintaining both the electrical connection function and the waterproof barrier.
3Ease of manufacture
If standard off-the-shelf electronics are protected in high-pressure environments, then cost is reduced, but specialized enclosure designs with feedthroughs are required
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of making the entire enclosure complex and specialized to handle high pressure, the invention inverts the approach by using a simple, standard enclosure and adding a specialized feedthrough component only where penetration is needed. This allows the majority of the enclosure to remain simple and cost-effective while providing specialized functionality only at the interface points.
Solution Approach 2:
The feedthrough design serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides electrical connection, structural reinforcement at the penetration point, and a mounting interface for sealing structures. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate specialized components, simplifying the overall enclosure design while maintaining protection capabilities.
Data Source
AI summary
An enclosure structure suitable for high-pressure environments includes a feedthrough for coupling components housed within the enclosure structure to components external to the enclosure structure. The enclosure structure includes a housing comprising one or more cavities for receiving one or more electronic components within an interior of the housing and a bore through the housing. The one or more electronic components comprises a connector element and the bore comprises a non-tapered portion and a tapered portion. The non-tapered portion is proximate to the interior of the housing and the tapered portion is proximate to the exterior of the housing. The bore is configured to receive a feedthrough pin for coupling the connector element to an external component external to the enclosure structure. The enclosure structure also includes a feedthrough pin extending through the bore and a potting material disposed within the tapered portion surrounding the feedthrough pin.